MEALY KEDPOLE. 585 



that about twenty-three years ago, the Mealy Redpoles were 

 very abundant for a time, but Lesser Redpoles scarcely 

 then to be got ; and Mr. Gould mentions that in the year 

 1829, the Mealy Redpoles were again particularly abun- 

 dant, and were caught in great numbers. 



The best specimens I possess of this bird were given me 

 by my friend Mr. Henry Doubleday, of Epping, who sup- 

 plied me also with the following observations. " During a 

 visit to Colchester in January, 1836, I observed some Red- 

 poles feeding on the alder, in company with the Siskin. 

 On shooting some, they proved to be the Mealy Redpole, 

 and I am convinced were all of this species, as I could 

 plainly see their pale or nearly white rumps. A friend 

 from Colchester brought me a pair alive; these I kept 

 some time, and there was certainly a difference in their 

 note, being sharper ; but as they had been kept some weeks 

 with a number of Canaries, I thought it possible that the 

 Mealy Redpoles had caught part of the Canary's note. 

 When I was at Colchester, I could form no opinion of the 

 Mealy Redpole's note in a wild state, from the continual 

 chatter of the Siskins. In Prince Charles Bonaparte's 

 Catalogue of the Birds of Europe and North America, 

 three Redpoles are given, viz., our common one, Linota 

 linaria, Linota canescens, Mr. Gould's plate of the Mealy 

 Redpole being referred to for this species, and Linota 

 Borealis, which is stated to inhabit Europe generally ; now 

 I always thought that the Borealis of M. Temminck was 

 our Mealy Redpole. When skinning this bird, the head 

 has always appeared to me broader than that of the com- 

 mon species ; but I am sorry that I have not a skull to 

 make the comparison, as I have had so few specimens of 

 the Mealy bird." This desideratum, in further proof of 

 the distinction between this bird and our Common Redpole, 

 I am, however, enabled to supply from another quarter. 



